When water is too warm,
corals will expel the algae
(zooxanthellae) living in
their tissues, causing the
coral to turn completely
white. This is called coral
bleaching. When a coral
bleaches, it is not dead.
Corals can survive a
bleaching event, but they
are under more stress and
are subject to mortality.
If the water temperature
drops quickly enough the
corals recover. With the
advent of climate change
and the seas becoming
warmer, the events become
more frequent and the
coral are unable to recover
and they die. Add the
increasing stresses from
storm damage, pollutants,
destructive fishing
methods, and the effects
of ocean acidification, the
less likely it is that the
coral will recover.
Is our
reef dying?
GreatBarrierReef